Nancy Pelosi reassures Congressional Black Caucus on job creation

Just after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the legislative conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Wednesday, Rep. Barbara Lee offered an endorsement that would warm the heart of any congressional leader facing the prospect of landslide losses this fall.

“Everyone here recognizes why we all say you are the greatest speaker ever,” Lee, caucus chairwoman, said to cheers from the audience.

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POLITICO 44

The warm words underscore what observers say is the deftness with which the speaker has navigated what could easily have become a very rocky relationship over the past two years. Strains could have worsened any number of times: during the health care reform debate when liberal members felt their leaders were more receptive to the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition or in the spring when some CBC members felt President Barack Obama wasn’t moving quickly enough to address the soaring unemployment in their communities.

And there’s the speaker’s establishment of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics that has ensnared Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), among other CBC members.

But that hasn’t caused Pelosi to give them the cold shoulder either, members say. “She has shown a healthy respect for presumption of innocence, while at the same time maintaining the integrity of the House as an institution itself,” said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.).

And though the speaker relies heavily on the 42-member Black Caucus for key votes, the members haven’t always been willing to play ball — most recently defying their leaders by voting against a supplemental spending bill.

But CBC members say that rather than allowing those contretemps to calcify into bitter disagreements, Pelosi has worked hard to embrace the caucus and to remind its members that her leadership has benefited them.

To some extent, CBC members acknowledge the relationship is maintained on an underlying understanding that Pelosi needs the CBC — and vice versa.

“Retaining the CBC is a very important part of retaining leadership,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). “I know she recognizes, as she does with other caucuses and members, that there’s a great deal of expertise in our caucus. She has kept up the dialogue, which is key because you can’t agree or disagree if there’s no dialogue.”

Pelosi had kind words, as well, for Barbara Lee, the California Democrat. “She’s a person to be reckoned with in the Congress and in the country,” Pelosi said.

“Others think about the table in the boardroom and what it’s going to mean to the bottom line of that corporation, but no thought or connection to that kitchen table,” Pelosi said. “Barbara Lee never lets anybody forget which table is more important in our country.”

DRAIN THE SWAMP! Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has privately indicated she is willing to rewrite some of the the ethics rules that House Democrats implemented two years ago.

DRAIN THE SWAMP! Pelosi late last month met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) about the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), which was created to bolster the ethics of the lower chamber.

USDA employee Shirley Sherrod, who was fired after a misleading videotape of one of her speeches appeared to suggest she had discriminated against white farmers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assured attendees of the Congressional Black Caucus legislative conference on Wednesday that Democrats would continue working to create jobs in the African-American community

Hey Marin you mean to tell us that you couldn't find one black person from the CBC to comment on Pelosi's remarks?

I have absolutly no complainst against the Republican Tea Party gaining office. I am sure between The Repulcans and the Republican Tea Party, we can get America back on its feet.

Just remember folks, you dont put all of your eggs in 1 basket. We need some liberals, maybe 1 democrate so we are not discriminating, some conservatives, tea party, and republicans.To make sure that they are representing "The American People's" Interest.

MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL PATRIOTS!..

OBAMA IS A PRIME EXAMPLE ON WHY WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THE PRESIDENT IS A PARTIOT, AN AMERICAN, RESPECTS AND HONORS OUR CONSITUTION.

Democrats love criminals. They support illegal criminals and fight against the American people. they skip on paying taxes and waste the money the rest of us are forced to pay. The CBC is allowed to lie, cheat, steal and continue to get special funding at taxpayer expense. When caught, in typical black fashion, they cry foul. After ****ing away over a trillion dollars, Obama crys, kicks his feet into the ground and blames others. While the American people suffer, the first family spends like they are royalty with an unlimited bank account.

It is time to clean up DC. Kick all democraps out of office and send a clear message, corruption will no longer be tolerated. The CBC should be investigated, arrested and shutdown and exposed as the racist crime organization that they really are.

Im sorry, but I am white and have been unemployed for over a year. So I dont want to hear about how people are stating that being unemployed has something to do with racism.

Companies are hiring kids to work for them at minimum wage, and part time. They are not going to invest in experience right now because its too costly to do business. It's easier for them to hire minimum wage teenagers, who dont know anything about benefits, that it is if they hired an experiance professional who is seeking higher pay rates, with benefits.

These are 2 different classifications. I have over 10 years experiance in Commercial Real Estate. Generated over 200 loans a year.. My portfolio was over $1.2 Billion, but when the market crashed, I lost my portfolio... plus any commission..

I have worked with the wealthiest individuals around the world seeking commercial funding.. But banks are not hiring unless you have a portfolio and you show your financials. Thats kind of hard to do when the market crased in 2008. Since my earnings is contengent to the banks lending ability, my financials bottomed out. So if a bank is going to base my success on my financials last year. Well thats a hard thing to do considering it takes 6 months to close 1 loan. Now imagine having 200 loans, and not being able to do anything with them because banks are not lending. Really stupid, because my clients had 15% to put down, + assets, and every bank treated my clients like they were crooks.

Investors wanted to hold a 50% equity stake in their project, even knowing the borrower has a successful history in development. Not to mention banks wanted my clients to give the banks signatory rights over the borrowers assets. This is an Evil Market right now. The banks have no interest in loaning money to qualified (income producing) projects.

And if they are not willing to lend. NO JOBS WILL BE CREATED.

So Blacks are not the only one who is suffering. I cant get a bank to do a loan to save my life. If they do.. they are only lending to the borrowers who have the ability to fund the project themselves. which really doesnt make any sense. Why would I put myself through living hell if I could fund the damn project myself.

It's NOT just Black America, its ALL OF AMERICA...

I have been reduced to take my skills and flush them in the damn toilet. Because our Governement took a Big Shet on my career.

To which specific Bush era policies is Ms. Pelosi referring? (The legislation that reads "Only the few shall prosper" doesn't ring any bells).

Was it the financial policies that made it easier for low-income earners to own their own homes (which led to the housing bubble)? Or the centralization of education decisions within the DC bureaucracy thru No Child Left Behind? Or perhaps the Prescripton Drug Benefit?

Obviously, all the destructive stuff must have been baked in the cake before 2006, or else Queen, er, Speaker Nancy would have engineered an effort to fix them, like Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, right?

And what WAS the unemployment rate in the districts represented by the CBC when Speaker Pelosi took the gavel in 2006? And what is it now?

Some congressional districts are set on same old same old, so be it. If Pelosi, Franks and Rangel are re-elected, We the People will make sure they never again have any say on the lives of U.S.taxpayers.

After Trillions of Dollars and 50 years are we ready to claim Victory in the War on Poverty?

New numbers show Poverty at new highs. Doing things and getting results are two very different things.

Even during good times little of what was done created any long lasting success for the low income.

Rangle, Sharpton and Jackson get rich and tell more lies to the people than even the democrats have told them. The poor should ask themselves "Am I better of now than I was 50 years ago?"

Now the democrats want to grant amnesty to 10s of millions of illegal immigrants and grow the base of their failed policy. Welcome to the land of Public Housing, crappy education, high unemployment, low wages, and a pledge of decades more of our empty promises, failed programs, just enough to keep you angry.

would continue working to create jobs in the African-American community

Gee, that would actionable on a racist basis -- favoring one class over another based on skin color -- except "continue working" means like three people out of three hundred million.

I NEVER want ANY government official "working on" favors based on skin color, whether it's George Wallace or Nancy Pelosi, but as long as the ultimate results couldn't staff a 7-11 store, there's really no harm done.

Yeah Nan, keep up the good work you and the rest of the Dems are doing to ... er, for the country. Get amnesty for that huge illegal voting block and that should just about guarantee your power base for a long time to come. At least until the rebellion comes, anyway. What jobs have been created for anybody, not just the Blacks or Asians or Hispanics or Whites ?

Democratz = Keeping the powerless under their thumbs one lie at a time !